Daily Current Affairs Quiz: May 21, 2025

Notes:
Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy launched the ‘Indira Saura Giri Jala Vikasam’ scheme in Macharam, Amrabad mandal of Nagarkurnool district. The scheme aims to provide irrigation using solar-powered borewells in tribal lands without electricity. It will cover 6 lakh acres of land held by Scheduled Tribe (ST) farmers under the Forest Rights Act (FRA). Farmers with over 2.5 acres will get individual units, while smaller landholders will form borewell user groups. The Tribal Welfare Department will identify eligible farmers by May 25.

Notes:
The Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation recently launched the new Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) Portal in New Delhi. The Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) Scheme was introduced in August 2005 by amending the Citizenship Act, 1955. A foreign national can apply for OCI if they were an Indian citizen on or after 26th January 1950, or were eligible to become one on that date. OCI status is also open to those whose ancestors belonged to a territory that became part of India after 15th August 1947. The new OCI portal aims to simplify and modernize the application process for eligible foreign nationals.

Notes:
Recent camera trap images from Udanti Sitanadi Tiger Reserve (USTR) in Chhattisgarh show a positive rise in wildlife activity with carnivores, herbivores, and omnivores using the forest widely. USTR is located in the Gariaband and Dhamtari districts of Chhattisgarh. It was formed by merging Sitanadi and Udanti Wildlife Sanctuaries. The main river in the reserve is the Mahanadi, along with Udanti, Sitanadi, Indravan, and Pairi Rivers as tributaries. The reserve connects with forests of Kanker and North Kondagaon, forming a corridor to Indravati Tiger Reserve in Bastar.

Notes:
In a recent development, India’s High-Altitude Platform (HAP) prototype designed by National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) successfully completed pre-monsoon flight tests with a certified autopilot system. A High-Altitude Platform (HAP) is an unmanned, solar-powered aircraft that flies in the stratosphere at 17 to 22 kilometers altitude. It serves as a middle layer between ground systems and satellites for continuous aerial services. It was developed by NAL, Bengaluru, under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). The Aeronautical Test Range (ATR) at Chitradurga, Karnataka supported its development. It is designed for border patrolling, surveillance in remote areas, and civil-military use. It can also act as a relay for telecommunications and weather monitoring.

Notes:
Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan recently launched the nationwide “Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan” to be held from May 29 to June 12, 2025. It aims to make agriculture modern and prosperous under the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mission for a developed India. Agriculture supports nearly half of India’s population and is key to national food security. The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has a six-point strategy: increase production, reduce costs, ensure fair prices, compensate disaster losses, promote crop diversification and organic farming. India recorded its highest-ever agricultural output in 2024–25, with food grain production rising to 3309.18 lakh tonnes. The campaign seeks to make India the “Food Basket of the World” through sustainable and surplus farming.